Making your decision

Once given a diagnosis and possibly a choice of management options you may then be faced with making a decision about treatment or management of your acoustic neuroma. The decision will be a shared decision with the clinical team who will give you information about the various choices and sometimes make recommendations. However, often it is up to you to decide the best choice for you and your family. Hopefully this guide can help you with that process.

This decision may feel very difficult especially if there is not obvious choice.

These are some things that can help with the decision making process?

Do you need more information?

You can ask the clinical team that are looking after you for more information.

Search for information on the internet – try to stay with reputable sources – we have supplies some sources on this website.

Who can help me?

Talk to the clinical team

Talk to family and friends

Talk to people who have made the decision before you – this maybe via a website like ours and we also offer the opportunity to speak with one of our members on the phone. However remember that everyone’s experience will be different

If you are still not sure it may be helpful to write it all down

You can make a list of the options available to you and the reasons to choose a particular option or to avoid that option. You can then identify the ones you feel are most likely to happen and how important each of these are to you.

for example if it is important to you that the tumour is removed then this will be a high score on the reasons to choose surgery,

whereas if the idea of surgery frightens you, fear of the operation will score high on the reasons to avoid surgery.

you may then be able to identify the options with the choices that matter most to you and are most likely to happen, and those that you most wish to avoid.

Your final decision will be made in conjunction with the clinical team looking after you, but it is important that you are clear about your options and what is important for you.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on Saturday 30th June 2018 in the David Dunn Suite at Addenbrooke’s Hospital Cambridge. Doors will open at 12.30hrs
The speaker will be Rachel Knappett, Senior Audiologist, who will speak about tinnitus and hearing aids. The AGM will also take place at this meeting.

Driving, acoustic neuroma and the DVLA

We sometimes get asked about whether people need to inform the DVLA about an acoustic neuroma.
For further information please see our News page.
The appropriate link to the DVLA site is:
https://www.gov.uk/acoustic-neuroma-and-driving

New web site for Addenbrooke’s Hospital Skull Base Unit.

The Skull Base Unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital has just launched a new web-site. See our News page for more information